Six weeks ago, nobody in the Jaguars' locker room thought in their worst nightmare that something so unthinkable could happen.

They were flying home from Indianapolis after one of the franchise's most memorable feel-good moments. The Jaguars had beaten the Colts 22-17 on a dramatic 80-yard touchdown pass from Blaine Gabbert to Cecil Shorts in the final minute. It was supposed to be a springboard back to respectability. No doubt, the Jaguars had visions of that one electrifying play being the confidence boost Gabbert needed to elevate his career. It looked to be the kind of victory that would propel this team to eradicate four years of stagnation.

Instead, the air has been sucked out of Jacksonville's franchise. Five consecutive losses later, there's a feeling of uncertainty and how-could-this-happen reaction enveloping the EverBank Field facility. Coach Mike Mularkey and his players are searching for answers that continue to evade them.

"We're definitely stunned and shocked about [losing five consecutive games]," guard Uche Nwaneri said. "Yeah, it's crazy. I don't think any of us anticipated the season we're having."

Now flip this same scenario toward the Colts, who fell to 1-2 after that Gabbert-to-Shorts dagger. That defeat paled in comparison to what came next: learning that coach Chuck Pagano would be forced to take an unspecified leave of absence after being diagnosed with leukemia.

Yet Indianapolis, thanks mostly to the emergence of rookie quarterback Andrew Luck, has flourished under daunting circumstances. Since that week from hell, the Colts have won four of five games by margins of 3, 4, 3 and an overtime 6-pointer.

Going into Thursday night's Jaguars-Colts rematch at EverBank, the fortunes of these AFC South franchises appear as polar opposite as they were during the decade that Peyton Manning won 14 of 19 meetings against Jacksonville.

It's bad enough that the Jaguars are 1-7, on track for the worst season in franchise history, and have a talent shortage at several positions. Now the Colts' prospect of having as bright a long-term future as anyone in the AFC only adds to the misery.

Remember that post-Manning down cycle? It expired after one year. At 5-3, the Colts are the AFC wild-card leader. And for no other reason than having the fortune, again, of a once-in-a-generation quarterback falling to them with the No. 1 overall draft pick. Was it not enough torture for the Jaguars to never win an AFC South division title because Manning was the main obstacle? Now along comes Luck looking accumulating 2,404 yards in his first eight games.

He's already tied Manning's record for most 300-yard passing games (four) by an NFL rookie. Here's another sickening statistic: Luck not only set the single-game rookie record with 433 passing yards Sunday in a 23-20 win against the Miami Dolphins, but he converted six third downs of 10-plus yards.

The light appears to have gone on for Luck. The Jaguars need a lot more than one feel-good moment from Gabbert.

Here are the stats after 8 games this year according to espn.com for Blaine:

Comp% - 58% 27th ranked out of 33 QB's
Total Yards - 1,429 (31 QB's have more than 200 attempts he is #30)
Yards per attempt - 5.83 - 33 out of 33 and the only QB to be below 6 yards per attempt
Yards per game - 179 - 33 out of 33

Overall Rating is a 78.4 #26 out of 33.

He has been sacked 18 times tied for 13th. Aaron Rogers has been sacked the most at 29. Aaron Rogers is the second rated QB in the NFL.

It is not the OL that is the main issue.

The WR's have some drops that have not helped. Every QB in the NFL has drops. Franchise QB's do not need excuses to get the job done, they overcome and persevere.

There is no reason to continue down this path with Blaine. He is a bust. Blaine will need 2 to 3 years to become a average QB.

The Colts are a good example of just how much the NFL is a quarterback league. Yes, Luck was the #1 pick, and RGIII at Washington was #2. Both appear to be transitioning to the NFL in pretty good fashion. Our QB, though not drafted as high, was traded UP for, and pegged to be our franchise QB...a top 10 pick! He is light years removed from Luck and RGIII. And the RESULTS are there to show it! All the talk about last year being thrust into the starting role when he wasn't ready, poor O-Line, injuries, bad WR's....none of that matters. When you read the papers from other NFL cities, they too have injuries, tough situations, fumbles, drops, interceptions, etc. Not one team in the NFL is exempt from all those things.
After just one "down" season, Indy is in the playoff hunt with who? Luck and Reggie Wayne. They've managed to do so, because Luck has transitioned well....Gabbert has yet to show the ability to make that transition. And "progress" is not taking one step forward and two steps back, which seems to be his path.

Reggie is getting a little on in years. Although I wouldn't call him mediocre either. The only way the Jags will have a chance in the next 3 - 5 years is if they build a defense second to none. The offense will probably improve, but not to the level INDY will have.

Luck has done this without an outstanding receiving corps. Gabbert has shown flashes of mediocrity with receivers who would look much better with Luck throwing to them.
In a quarterback centered sport and league , the Jags have managed to obtain middle of the road talent since Brunell left.
Very little hope in the near future.
Colts and Texans will dominate th AFC South for years.